Puff iron



C. E. SKELTON PUFF IRON Aug. 19 1924.

Filled June 15 1922 2 Shoots-Shut 2 INVENToR. m

ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

UNITED' STATES CHARLES E. sKELToN, or sYRAcUsE, NEwYoRK.

purr TRON.

Application filed June 15, 1922. VSerial No. 568,410.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES E. SKELTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Puff Irons, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and eXact description.

This invention relates to a puff iron for steaming the shoulders of coats and various parts of other garments to renovate and restore the nap of the same either before or after pressing, the main object being to enable the operator to apply the steam to the garment by simply holding the latter in the hand and pressing it upwardly against the lower perforated side of a steam distributing chamber in said puff iron whereby the upward pressure will cause the application of the steam whilethe withdrawal of the pressure will cause the cutting oil of the steam supply to the perforated'wall.

In other words, I have sought to provide a puiil iron with a steam-heated chamber and a steam-distributing chamber connected by a valve controlled passage in such manner that the puff iron may be moved by upward pressure against its lower side to open the valve and returned by its own weight to .close the valve.

Other objects and uses relating to 'specific parts ofthe device will be brought out in the following description In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a puff iron embodying the various features of my invention.

Figure Q is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 2 2, Figure 1 except that the coils of the steam supply and return tubes are shown in elevation.

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section of the same device except that the intermediate portion of the pedestal is broken away and the base is shown in elevation. 1

l Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the same device taken in the plane of line 1f-4, Figure l looking upwardly from the under side, the front portion of the puff iron being broken away.

The pu iron as -lis mounted upon a pedestal -2- having a'suitable'supporting base -3-, whichis adapted to be secured to the table of a garment pressing machine or face of the rear side of the pedestal near the upper end thereof as shown in Figure 3.

The upper end of the pedestal is provided with a forwardly projecting ange -8- which forms a limiting stop or seat for supporting the front portion of the puff iron 1* in a substantially horizontal plane against undue downward movement while permitting its upward movement as will be hereinafter explained, the rear portion of the upper end of the standard being elevated some distance above the horizontal plane of the fiange -8- to form a valve-operating shoulder -9- also hereinafter more fully described.

The opposite sides of the upper end of -f the pedestal are provided with raised lugs -lO-- in front of the aXis of the pedestal for receiving a pivotal shaft or pin -11- by which the puff iron is pivotally connected to the edestal.

T is puff iron is provided near its rear end with a pendent hub -l2-, the rear portion of which is substantially semi-cylindrical but of greater radius than that'of the pedestal -2- so as to leave an intervening clearance -13- between it and the raised portion having the shoulder -9- which it is adapted to surround, the object of the clearance 1B- being to permit the puff iron -lto rock vertically about the axis The front portion of the hub -12 is substantially straight transversely and vertically and has its lower edge adapted to normally rest upon the upper face of the 7 flange -8- and thereby to cooperate with said flange in holding the puff iron in substantially a normal position against undue downward movement while permitting its free vertical movement about the axis of the chamber i4- having its topi and side walls curved longitudinally and transversely Jfor shaping the shoulder or other portion of the garment thereto and permitting the same to be pressed thereon' if desired, the lower portion of said puff iron being normally disposed in a substantially horizontal plane and is provided with a v central length wise conduit -15- having one end connected by a vertical passage -16- .to the interior of the chamber -14C- and its other end connected to a. steam distributing chamber -17- having a substantially flat perforated bottom wall -18- and an imperforate top wall *194- between the chambers 17- and -l-l-.

The hub -12- in which the steamconduit -15- is formed is preferably made separate from the main body of the puff iron and its upper portion is provided with an annular flange -20- adapted; -to fit in the corresponding*recess in the lower side of the-rear end of the main body of the puffv ironas shown in Figure 3, the

two parts beingse'cured -togetherby screws -21- while the rear end of the chamber -17- extends downwardly across the adjacent end of the conduit --15 and is provided with an opening l5- forming. a continuation of 'said conduit to connect the latter with the distributing chamber -17.

The hub 'lQffis provided with avertical guide opening` 22- alined with the vertical passage -16- for receiving a'valve stem-23 having at its upper end a v-valve 24- whichisy normally seated in the upper end of the passage -16 to normally close communication between the chamber i4- and conduit -15- leading to the distributing chamber -17--. A

, A coil spring 2;3#y surrounds the lower end of the valve stem '-23- between the lower wall of the conduit .-15- slioulder -,-9-- to assist in closing the valve `24iwhen the puff iron is in its normal horizontal position with the lower end of the .front wall of the hub resting upon the flange -8- in which condition, the puff iron is held by the predominance of weight of its frontend in front of the pivot -1l-.

A tubular pipe coil Q6- has 'one end secured in the bracket -6 in alinement with a supply pipe 4lto forni a. con

\ tinuation thereof and has its other end extended upwardly` and secured in an opening -27- in vthe bottom wall of the chamber --14- for supplying steam thereto.

Ac similar pipe coil -28- has one end extended downwardly and secured inthe bracket 6- in alinementwith a return pipe -5- and its other end extended upwardly4 and secured in an opening -29- in the bottom of the chamber -14f to permit the return of the steam and water vof condensation tothe source of steam supply, the upper end of tlie coil -26- being extended into the chamberj-fllisome distance above that of the coil -28- and therefore, above the bottom of the chamber -17- to prevent'the'entrance of water of condensation from said chamber into the steam supply pipe. i

Suitable lugs #3.0- are cast upon the underside of the bottom -19- of the puff iron l to receive the intermediate portions' of the perforated plate --18d and to permit the latter to ybe secured theretodby. suitable screws -31- as shown by. dotted lines in Figure 3. 1

A stop screw 32- is adjustable' in a threaded opening in the rear side of the hub -l2- near the lower end thereof .to cooperate with the adjacent portion of the upper end of the pedestal 2e for limiting the upward movement of the pui iron from its normal position about the axis' of the pivot v-1land thereby limiting the open* ing move-ment of the valve *24e-e It will be noted that the valve 24E-f and its stein 23M together with the abutment -9- are located some distance to the rear of the axis of the pedestal while the pivotal pin l1 is located some distance to the front of said axis andgthat the abutment v9- for said valve stem is in approximately the same horizontal plane as the axis of the pivotal pin 1lso that when the front end ofthe puff iron is rocked upwardly from its ynormal posiv tion about the axis of the pivot #lll-, the

lower end of the valve stemfv will be forced` any of the jointsl between saidcoils land bracket -6- and bottom wallof the puff iron. Y

Operation.

In steaming the shoulder or other part of the garment, the part to be steamed is placed in the hand and pressed against the under side of the perforated plate 418 with sufficient force to lift the frontend of the plate against its own weight aboutthe axis ofthe pivot -11-` during .which operation, the valve -24- will be opened by contact of the lower end of its stem #2844 with the abutment 9'- to allowthe steam to pass 'from the opening through the passages ico iio

izo

-l6, -15- and -15-- into the chamber -17-- and thence through the perforated plate -18- on to the garment for softening and restoring the knap and rendering that part of the garment more pliable for pressing upon the upper curved faces of the puff iron.

As soon as the pressure upon the under side of the perforated plate is relieved, the puff iron will return to its normal position by its own weight, thereby permitting the valve 24ato close to cut off further communication between the heated chamber 111- and distributing chamber -17-, this return movement being facilitated by the resiliency of the coils -16- and -28-- By locating the abutments -8- and -9- at opposite sides of the pivot -11- the opening of the valve Q4- under a very slight lifting movement of the front end of the puff iron assures a close control of the supply of steam to the distributing chamber -17- and allows the valve to close when the pu iron is restored to its normal position against the stop -8'.

Vhat I claim is:

1. The combination of a support, a puff iron movably mounted upon the support and provided with a steam heated chamber and a steam distributing chamber having a steam exit in one side and connected by a passage with the steam heated chamber, a steam conduit opening into the steam heated chamber, a normally closed valve in said passage and means actuated by the movei ment of the ud iron from one position to another position for opening the valve.

2. In combination with a support, a puff iron hinged to the support to swing vertically and provided with a steam heated chamber and a steam distributing chamber having a steam exit on its under side and connected by a passage with the steam heated chamber, means for supplying steam to said steam heated chamber, and means actuated by the movement of the puff iron from its normal position of rest for controlling the passage of vsteam from said steam heated chamber to the distributing chamber.

3. In combination with a support, a puff iron hinged to the support to swing vertically and provided with a steam heated chamber and a steam distributing chamber, a steam supply conduit leading to the heated chamber, an additional conduit connecting the heated chamber to the distributing chamber, a valve controlling the passage of steam through the second named conduit, and means for opening the valve when the puff iron is rocked from its normal position.

4. In combination with a support, a puffiron movable relatively to said support and provided with a steam heated chamber and a steam distributing chamber connected by a passage to the heated chamber and havlng a steam exit, a flexible pipe having one end secured to the support and its other end secured to the puff-iron for supplying steam to the heated chamber, and means controlled by the movement of the puif-iron for opening and closing said passage.

5. In combination with a support, a puff iron pivotally mounted on the support to swing vertically and provided with a steam heated chamber and a steam distributing chamber, means for supplying steam to the heated chamber, a passage connecting the heated chamber with the distributing chamber, a valve controlling said passage and normally closed when the puff iron is in one position, and means for opening the valve when the puff iron is moved to a dierent position.

6. A puff iron having a steam heated chamber and a steam distributing chamber provided with a steam exit in one side, steam supply and return pipes leading to and from the heated chamber, a steam passage connecting the heated chamber to the distributing chamber, a valve controlling said passage, said puff iron being movable to different positions, and means for opening the valve when the puff iron is moved to one of said positions.

7. The combination with a support, of a pui iron pivotally mounted upon the support to swing vertically and provided with a steam heated chamber and a steam distributing chamber having a steam exit in its lower side, a pipe coil having one end secured to the support and its other end secured to the puff iron and communicating with the heated chamber, means for supplying steam to the ipe coil, a stop at one side of the pvot for imiting the downward movement of the puff iron, an abutment at the opposite side of the pivot, and a valve controlling said passage and adapted to engage said abutment to open the valve when the puff iron is rocked from its normal position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of May 1922.

CHARLES E. SKELTON.

Witnesses H. E. CHASE, M. C. Rim.. 

